In a client/customer oriented world, servicing the client/customer through the efficient, timely and up-to-date collection and management of data is more important than ever. As organizations look for ever smaller edges over the competition, it is a must to increase their productivity in field data collection and analysis. One such edge can be had by the streamlining of the movement of client/customer data along with complex business rules, work flow and validations from the organizational enterprise to the field and vice versa. Being able to disseminate data or information efficiently are measurable ways to lower costs, increase revenues, optimize productivity and improve process management.
Accordingly, once an organization has decided to implement a new solution for their data collection and management needs, certain necessary factors need to be considered. While specific tools provided to organizations differ among the configurable mobile platform products, there is a standard set of criteria any mobile platform provider should be able to deliver. Some of these elements include:                A strong architecture and robust feature set that can deploy applications to a mobile taskforce quickly, that is in days/weeks rather than months/years.        The ability to create an organization's mobile application once and then deploy it to various mobile devices such as SmartPhones, PDAs or Tablets. This way the organization is never tied to one technology.        Implementation of a technology that is proven in the real world and can be rapidly deployed.        Solutions should be easy to use by both executives and non-professional workers. Thus, a low learning curve is necessary.        The ability to migrate all existing business rules/logic and validation from a backend system to the mobile application, therefore decreasing any learning curve and increasing productivity.        
Many retail stores have specific backend systems in place upon which their technological hierarchy has been built. For instance, there are various types of mobile platforms to consider, synchronization of these various platforms, and data storage on various servers and databases. Clients also desire to have the backend systems integrated to the retail store side, and to have the ability to make custom reports that suit their business needs. Further, with an ever expanding stable of programs for various tasks, modules for data collection and management needs, flexibility and an ability for easy modification are a necessity.
Retail stores are now using mobile handheld checkout devices to assist their retail customers in a seamless and quick checkout process. These mobile device checkout devices allow a retail store clerk to enter data for a particular product into the handheld device which device then presents data corresponding to pricing, quantity and other data points for the particular product. Having such data readily available to the store clerk and the retail store customer facilitates the point of sale transaction, wherein the store clerk need only scan the product SKU, check the product information, swipe the credit card and print-out a receipt, all through the handheld point of sale mobile transaction device.
Having the aforementioned technology issues, and facing issues of integrating the data acquired at the mobile device to the stores backend retail purchasing and inventory systems, retail stores are looking for a middleware approach which can tie the various systems together and allow for both forward and backward data synchronization and storage, as well as the ability for ease of mobility and use of handheld devices serving the retail store's customers.
Thus as can be seen, issues and problems have arisen with the use of the current system architectures that need resolution.